'BOREALIS RISING' - A Subnautica Story V2.0.

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Polyakov pushed his hulking, pockmarked face close to mine and grimaced. It was not a pretty sight.

"You like to talk too much, Selkirk. Maybe you lack the chto eto slovo Angliskii... 'Conviction' to follow your words with strong actions, yes?
Maybe you are not all the man you think you are, Robot."

I shrugged. "Eto pravda. Yes, I would rather talk than fight, mainly because people die when they come gunning for me. Another Invigilator wanted to see me dead so badly, he dragged himself and 249 of his shipmates straight to Hell. Armin, I'm only going to say this once... There will be no more shakedowns. No beatings or sabotage. No more protection rackets or reprisals. As of now, everyone in this colony is under our protection. Understood?"

He seemed to consider my words for at least five seconds, then shook his head slowly.

"We may find ourselves having another nice talk like this sometime soon, I think. Your friends will not be around to help you. Then we will see who is more of a man. I promise you, this will happen."

I smiled agreeably. "Fair enough, then. We've both spoken our piece. Might as well get back to the others before they start spreading saucy stories." I stood up and began walking to the centre of the atrium. Suddenly, I stopped and turned back to Polyakov.

"By the way, I'd like to show you something, Armin. We were having such a good time chatting, I almost forgot to mention it to you. It'll only take a minute or so."

I led Polyakov over to the archway leading into the central access corridor.

"See those four ExoSuits parked at the end of this corridor? Watch closely."

All four ExoSuits rose slowly and simultaneously. When they reached a fully upright stance, their Gauss cannons whipped up into firing position. Four laser targeting points appeared on Polyakov's chest, spaced precisely 25mm apart. I pointed at him, indicating that he should look down.

"Space is crawling with vermin just like you, Armin. Men who profit from the suffering of others. Believe me, I'd turn you into a cloud of red mist without the slightest flicker of remorse. Ironically, you now owe your life to the same colonists you've terrorised and exploited in the past. Some of them are standing in the line of fire directly behind you. This must be your lucky day, mate."

All four laser markers slowly converged, forming a single, intense ruby dot. It tracked up his sternum rapidly and unerringly, coming to rest in the dead centre of his forehead.

"On the other hand, you're a right lanky bastard. We might be able to pull off a trick shot."

Wow....I'm shocked. That doesn't seem like Selkirk at all. Wow. He seems....cruel for a first impression. Like he wants to control everyone. He may leave a bad mark on everyone's impressions of him....

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10

Wow....I'm shocked. That doesn't seem like Selkirk at all. Wow. He seems....cruel for a first impression. Like he wants to control everyone. He may leave a bad mark on everyone's impressions of him....

Remember when he tied up Tomar and his men in a cyclops for ages whilst they stewed in their own waste with a good view of an angry reaper outside? And shortly after when he used the TRIDENT system on their base to blast music at a deafening volume to wear down their morale? Selkirk seems to be fundamentally a good guy but he also appears to have a sadistic streak in him. I guess JUNO was right in Aurora Falls when she expressed concern about Selkirk's mental state and how she thought he was at risk of developing psychopathic tendencies.

Yeah, you're right. I forgot about those previous times. To be honest, I don't think I would be too happy if I was stranded and the people I thought who were coming to save me wanted to kill me instead.

On a different note...how do I quote?

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10

Welp sry I am also late for the party. no wait, im not, i just didnt have an account, so i didnt comment on Aurora Falls. But i finally went on my computer to make one (I read this on my phone) But now I'm here!

I hauled Polyakov to his feet and seized him by the throat. There it was, in his eyes. He knew.

"I could end this, right now. Just a bit more pressure, and there would be a .90 calibre hole straight through your carotid artery. No problem at all. When I let you go a few seconds from now, there will be no threats, no shouting, no fuss. You will walk back and quietly join your mates. In future, if you think you might stand the slightest chance against me, kindly make your move when there's no-one else around. No collateral damage to innocent bystanders. Understood?"

Polyakov nodded, slowly and carefully. I released my grip.

"Excellent. It appears you are a reasonable man after all, Armin Mikhailovitch. Spasiba."

I turned my back on him, a deliberate gesture of dismissal. Instead of rejoining the gathering straight away, I walked over to the alcove where we had been sitting. Polyakov's mug read 46.2 Celsius. Slightly tepid, but still quite drinkable. No sense wasting good chai. By the time I finished, Polyakov had returned to his friends. I watched their discussion in a half-hearted sort of way, not even bothering to lip-read what was being said. From what I could tell, his deputies were obviously straining like hounds on a leash, although Polyakov's behaviour seemed irritable and uncommitted. Judging by the way he kept glaring at me, I conjured he'd be biding his time until conditions were more in his favour. That suited me just fine.

"How was your little talk with our friend Polyakov, baas?" Héloise enquired brightly. "He seems to be much quieter now. He is a changed man, verdad?"

"Hardly. If anything, he's even more dangerous now." I said quietly. "I've just kicked two legs off his tripod, and there's no telling which way he's going to fall."

Héloise stared at me blankly. "What do you mean?"

"By installing those auto-galleys, I've effectively destroyed his main source of income. He was able to coerce other colonists with threats of violence, offering 'protection' from his bully-boys in exchange for more than his daily share of rations. These stolen rations could then be converted into moonshine alcohol or sold back to others in exchange for scarce or desirable commodities. Now that everyone has unlimited free access to the auto-galleys and eventually, some basic functions of the Fabricators, his currency of trade has become completely worthless. His second leg so to speak, was his physical strength and the perceived aura of authority it gave him. Now that we're here, he's no longer the Big Man on Campus, and I'll bet that's causing him no end of grief."

I frowned meaningfully at Héloise.

"For reasons best known to themselves, Someone forced our hand today. I'm an engineer. I prefer getting all of my ducks in a row before committing myself to any decisive action. It prevents unwelcome surprises... Usually. However, there are only so many x factors that can be offset by adequate contingency planning, otherwise I'd never get anything done. After that, I go with my gut."

"There's no such thing as 'omniscience' in my book. Careful observation, meticulous planning and situational flexibility is often mistaken for some sort of divine skill, but if a lot more folks took this approach, we'd probably all be a better people for it. Hell, I don't even get out of bed without a plan."

"A pleasure to meet you, meneer." I said, shaking his hand. "Our original intent was to render assistance with as little internal disruption as possible. However, I fear this is no longer an achievable goal. I have already considered the possibility of placing Polyakov and his deputies in confinement, although this step would not have been taken without prior consultation with the colony committee. After evaluating many possible consequences of this course of action, I strongly recommend that we allow Polyakov to remain at liberty, at least for the time being. The situation is extremely volatile at present, and any complicity in removing Polyakov from office might be construed as a prelude to installing ourselves in his place. Naturally, the colony's committee would also be implicated in this action. We genuinely wish to offer further assistance, although it is absolutely imperative that this colony remains autonomous."

"Gita Patel, colony science advisor. Mister Selkirk, what are your plans for our accommodation? Are we to occupy one of your existing facilities, or do you propose to construct a purpose-built base more suitable for human occupation? Not that I mean this to sound insulting in any way, but we require a medical centre, sanitary facilities, private accommodation berths and equipment to cater for our people with special needs. As androids, you and your companions would find most of these things entirely unnecessary."

"A very reasonable question, Mme. Patel. We plan to build an underwater habitat on the floating island named Kaori-san no-shima. More precisely, a one-atmosphere complex that runs entirely around the perimeter of the island at the 20-metre submersion mark, providing inhabitants with easy access to the island's surface areas without requiring decompression before exiting the base. All facilities will be provided for you, including entertainment areas, science modules and vehicle bays. Please compile a list detailing all of your specific requirements, and they will be incorporated into the final design. I have an initial design model of the proposed facility already prepared. If you wish, I can show you what it will look like as a holographic walkthrough. Incidentally, please feel free to comment on any aspects of this facility during the presentation."

Alexander F. Selkirk, unreal estate agent.

The truth is, I already had most of this design nutted out right from the start. Kaori-san no-shima was a relatively safe location to establish a base, and the island would be an absolute visual delight for anyone who's been trapped in a grim basalt fortress for most of their life. I could even rebuild Margaritaville and personally run it as the island's restaurant and nightclub. If Manannán's about to get a permanent human presence against all odds, there's no reason why we can't kick up our heels every once in a while. What the hell, we might as well make the most of it while we still can.

"make the most of it while we still can"? Oh no.. Did Selkirk install some kind of see the future program? Lmao..

I had just recently thought of somthing else aswell. All that equipment he has stored under the other island.. The mako subs.. Ripleys etc.. Either they can and will be put to good use by the newest members to society.. OR if found one can start one hell of a coup off with a BANG!

gotta question for you Bugzapper, In your well crafted world what would win in a fight. Your Cyclops v3.0 (2.0?) or those mako subs Selkirk decided to bury?

I know the visuals for the androids are off the table ( you gave more then enough description tho to give a good mental picture) but have you ever thought of doing a YouTube video or something along those lines, giving a "virtual" tour of selkirks bases and locations? I mean there had to be some specific areas in those biomes that inspired you the most..

I know the visuals for the androids are off the table ( you gave more then enough description tho to give a good mental picture) but have you ever thought of doing a YouTube video or something along those lines, giving a "virtual" tour of selkirks bases and locations? I mean there had to be some specific areas in those biomes that inspired you the most..

I've avoided making YouTube clips for a number of valid reasons, the very least of which is that Subnautica is utterly saturated.

'Aurora Falls' and 'Borealis Rising' were intended to be a distinct point of difference from your average YouTube clip. Not much sense hopping on an already overloaded band-wagon, either. I figured writing would be a more satisfying option from a creative point of view. Basically, I don't think the world can comfortably deal with another Subnautica YouTube channel.

What I've seen so far does not impress me. Too many Shouty Guys, too dependent on catchphrases and inept gameplay.

Aurora falls really only works for about the first chapter or so before it becomes relatively impossible to recreate the story accurately in-game (it was on my mind at first too). That's why I voted radio show style presentation/audiobook. You could keep a lot of authenticity that way, but the cast of characters is now exceeding the limits of a single voice actor XD

I know the visuals for the androids are off the table ( you gave more then enough description tho to give a good mental picture) but have you ever thought of doing a YouTube video or something along those lines, giving a "virtual" tour of selkirks bases and locations? I mean there had to be some specific areas in those biomes that inspired you the most..

I've avoided making YouTube clips for a number of valid reasons, the very least of which is that Subnautica is utterly saturated.

I know the visuals for the androids are off the table ( you gave more then enough description tho to give a good mental picture) but have you ever thought of doing a YouTube video or something along those lines, giving a "virtual" tour of selkirks bases and locations? I mean there had to be some specific areas in those biomes that inspired you the most..

I've avoided making YouTube clips for a number of valid reasons, the very least of which is that Subnautica is utterly saturated.

'Aurora Falls' and 'Borealis Rising' were intended to be a distinct point of difference from your average YouTube clip. Not much sense hopping on an already overloaded band-wagon, either. I figured writing would be a more satisfying option from a creative point of view. Basically, I don't think the world can comfortably deal with another Subnautica YouTube channel.

What I've seen so far does not impress me. Too many Shouty Guys, too dependent on catchphrases and inept gameplay.

Understandable, as for the shouty videos lmao without naming names you did a great job of pointing fingers but I get it, when I first found out about subnautica it was the day it launched on the Xbox one. My son new about it a year ago but when he tried to bring it to my attention (by description) I dismissed it as a stranded deep kinda knock off and I was MAJORLY wrong!!

But I digress, when I wanted to learn more about the game I was bombarded by so much nonsense that it made it very difficult to find out any factual information. Eventually I did find a single youtuber that was both tolerable and informative... For the most part lol.

Regardless.. Your doing a bang up job man, I know you dont need me to say that to know it, bit there it is anyways!

Man Bugzapper, why did you start using another language once in a while. I mean I can read it even though I don't know which language it is in. Tho it IS kinda annoying

I sort of agree. Although I think that it's okay for A to keep with that language, I think that others, with different family backgrounds (language wise) should include the ocasional word from "their" language. Have someone who throws in the occasional German word.

Selkirk has actually seemed to lose those little vocabulary quirks he once had.. I know he's now droided up, yet when he shifted "skins" it read like it was a almost perfect duplication of his former self..

Without the need to use inflatable Ingrid lmao.

Yet now JUNO and Selkirk are more...ummm shall we say "compatible"? Maybe love is In the air?

So, what's it like for Selkirk being able to truly multitask (at least in theory)? Instead of with a pure human mind, where you can maybe move hands somewhat differently at once, as an android, being able to literally focus on, for example, analyzing a sample of something and considering what it is while conducting a conversation with whoever and also thinking about that?

EDIT: And also, in conjunction with the previous two, contemplate life, the universe and everything, and his own personal history?

Edit Derp! Bugzapper, don't let the critics get to you. If you want Selkirk to speak in a foreign language then have at it! Don't let one knob make you rewrite stuff; just put a translation of what was said down the bottom somewhere...

Ok last comment on this other language thing, but dont remove it Bugzapper! I just wanted to know which language it was in. Now plz dont waste your time on listening to me and continue the story, that some people (Including me) want to read.